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Education without intelligence: should the concept of intelligence be eliminated from educational discourse?
Ethics and Education, Pages: 1 - 17
Swansea University Author:
Jane Gatley
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© 2025 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
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DOI (Published version): 10.1080/17449642.2025.2565510
Abstract
This paper argues that educators ought to treat the word ‘intelligence’ much like the word ‘stupid’ and avoid using it in educational settings. This is primarily in response to the continued use of intelligence testing in the US and UK, where it serves two purposes: in selection practices for compet...
| Published in: | Ethics and Education |
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| ISSN: | 1744-9642 1744-9650 |
| Published: |
Informa UK Limited
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70463 |
| Abstract: |
This paper argues that educators ought to treat the word ‘intelligence’ much like the word ‘stupid’ and avoid using it in educational settings. This is primarily in response to the continued use of intelligence testing in the US and UK, where it serves two purposes: in selection practices for competitive opportunities, and to provide tailored support to students. Using a conceptual engineering methodology, I ask whether these functions of the concept ‘intelligence’ in educational practices justify its use in educational discourse. By pointing to the harms associated with the concept of ‘intelligence,’ and considering three different possible ameliorations of the concept of ‘intelligence’ as it is used in education, I conclude that its use should be eliminated. |
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| Keywords: |
Intelligence, IQ testing, value added, conceptual engineering, multiple intelligences, social injustice |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Funders: |
Swansea University |
| Start Page: |
1 |
| End Page: |
17 |